Speaking of Dying ─ A Practical Guide to Using Counselling Skills in Palliative Care

Consultant and palliative medicine expert Heyse-Moore works from research and experience conducted over 27 years. That research and experience is free of the illusion that patients will always get well if they or their caregivers try hard enough. He describes the fundamentals, such as the terminology of the terminally ill, meeting the patient for the first time, developing appropriate "attending" and core counseling skills, using accepted psychological approaches, breaking bad news, working with deeply held emotions, dealing with issues relating to euthanasia, helping the family, identifying and treating spiritual distress, and garnering staff support. Includes a list of resources. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Louis Heyse-Moore has worked in palliative medicine for 27 years. He was consultant in palliative medicine to Isabel Hospice in Welwyn Garden City, after serving as the medical director at St Joseph's Hospice in East London. He has published articles in many leading journals in the field and has lectured internationally and given workshops on the use of counselling skills in palliative medicine.